This time of year there's a sleeping beauty to be found in the glacier-carved hills of northwest lower Michigan: the still, sparkling, frozen fairy-tale landscape of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

In a region usually known for its summer bustle, the snowy season at Sleeping Bear is a time marked by deep quiet and stark scenery. Nearly all of the park remains open, with the exception of its museums and Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, so that visitors can see a different side of the place: Fields and forests transformed by snowdrifts, the Big Lake's shoreline crusted with ice, expansive views opened wide by the absence of leafy canopies.

The snow-white icing on top of the proverbial cake? In the winter, weekend warriors can have the place practically to themselves. This time of year is the slowest when it comes to foot traffic: An average day at the park's Philip A. Hart Visitors Center right now might see 100 to 150 visitors, tops, says Dennis Hauck, Leelanau district fee supervisor. By comparison, the busiest summer day of 2017 (July 3rd, if you're curious) found more than 5,000 people walking through the center's doors.

Winter activities at Sleeping Bear Dunes include hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, winter camping, and even sledding down what might just be Michigan's ultimate sledding hill: the front face of the Dune Climb. The seven-mile Pierce Stocking drive, closed to cars, becomes a loop that's open to skiers and hikers. The park also offers ranger-led snowshoe hikes every Saturday at 1 p.m., with loaner snowshoes available (just register beforehand through the visitors center).

Given winter's bad rap, though, we figured some folks might need a little convincing to believe in this dark-season beauty -- much less consider taking a trip there at a time when the region's sublime summer beaches are still blanketed with snow and ice. So we gathered together some stunning Instagram images of Sleeping Bear Dunes in all its wintry glory. Consider it a little armchair travel (hot cocoa optional). Read on for more: